Eggplant Curry
A delicious healthy curry prepared with eggplants that can be served with any Indian bread. The freshly ground spices makes this curry irresistible!
Ingredients
- pinch asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 eggplant large globe (cut into wedges or thick batons, soaked in water)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp amchoor OR powder
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
To grind for the spice mix
- 3 chillies large dried red
- 2 tbsps chana dal
- 2 tbsps coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 dal udad tsbp
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- In a large wok / kadai, dry roast all the spices together, until the chana dal and udad dal turn golden brown. Remove, cool and grind to a coarse powder.
- In the same wok, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the asafoetida and then drain and squeeze out all the water from the eggplant pieces and add them to the oil.
- Add salt and turmeric and stir the eggplant till well coated. Lower the flame, add a little water at a time, around 1/4th cup, cover and cook the eggplant till nearly done. Don't cook to a mush.
- Add the coarse spice powder, amchoor and coat the nearly cooked eggplant with the spices by stirring well. Cover for another 5 minutes with a sprinkle of water if required and let the eggplants cook completely while soaking up the flavours of the spices.
- The coarsely powdered dals give the vegetable a nice crunchy texture.
- Serve hot with rotis or with dal rice.
Notes
If you don't find a big eggplant, use 8-12 smaller sized eggplants for this, cutting each into wedges. This spice mix works for other vegetables like bottle gourd, snake gourd, capsicum, potato, sweet potato etc.
Follow the same method of sauteeing the vegetable until nearly done, adding the spice mix, stirring to coat well and then cover and cook for 5 mins till vegetable is fully cooked and infused with spice flavours.
Other favourite eggplant recipes:
(c) Nandita Iyer 2006-2015